Pump output
The dribble/full flow pattern you've seen during interim spins sounds very normal for a Hotpoint such as this. I'm sure mine, albeit a different model, is much the same - the bulk of the water is pumped out after the drum coasts down from spin. My guess is the rather narrow tub-drum gap causes the extracted water to whirl around the tub during spin rather than sit in the sump, hence the dramatic cascade down the door you get, particularly on full or absorbent loads.
I do wonder why they employed the different drum lip and door seal for the 1200 and 1400 spin models around this time - a cosmetic or practical reason? It means you can't see the edge of the tub, unlike the slower spinning models. The different drum was dropped after a few years.
A lovely example of the top-of-the-range offering from Hotpoint whichever way you look at it...what with that and the almond timeline top loader, your kitchen seems to be the place to be on washday!